Simon Says... Let's Talk Book Reviews, Launch Events, and Lizzo
Keeping things short and sweet this week.
Welcome to Simon Says, a weekly newsletter from Rachel Simon about writing, not writing, and sort-of-, kind-of, I’m-putting-words-on-a-page-but-let’s-be-real-they’re-garbage writing. For current and aspiring writers, but everyone else is welcome, too.
I’m keeping this intro short and sweet today because, my friends, this week is busy. Despite the fact that I have a book coming out in just 20 days (!), I have made the extremely unwise decision to load up on freelance assignments, and now I have approximately 405729 deadlines due by the end of the month.
Should I even be taking the time to write this newsletter with a schedule like that? Absolutely not! But I am, anyway, because I like sharing things with all of you, such as…
Work Updates:
My book got its first review, from none other than Booklist! I can’t share the whole thing yet as the issue isn’t out yet, but I *can* say that they called Pickleball for All “a timely resource on the racquet sport of the moment.”
I also gave an interview about the book and pickleball’s growth to The San Antonio Express News, which you can read here.
And if you’re in the Raleigh area, you can come to my book launch event at Quail Ridge Books on Aug. 30! Details here.
In non-pickleball news, I interviewed the director of Not Okay, Quinn Shephard, about the satirical dramedy and online shaming. Also for Shondaland, I interviewed my former Bustle co-worker Iman Hariri-Kia about her debut novel, A Hundred Other Girls, which is currently getting a ton of (deserved) buzz.
I also wrote about Amazon’s new home products section and size-inclusive summer dresses for People.
I’m working on a story about unusual wedding dress codes, and I need your help! If you’ve been to a wedding where the dress code was confusing, let me know.
Last but not least, there’s one week left to sign up for my six-week class on personal essays and features in Raleigh! Grab a spot while you can.
This Week in Pop Culture:
Am I sad about Kim and Pete? 100 percent. Do I think they’ll get back together? Also 100 percent.
I started reading the Susie Yang novel White Ivy, and so far, it’s fantastic.
Last week’s Hot Ones with Lizzo was, unsurprisingly, a *joy.*
This Week’s Gratitude Moment:
I spent this past weekend in Portland, Maine, at a bachelorette party for a longtime friend, and it was one of those rare and special times where everyone just instantly connects and gets along as if they’ve all been friends forever, without any hesitation. Those moments are truly the best.
That’s all, friends. Thanks for reading, and talk soon!
-Rachel
Thanks for taking the time to write your newsletter even though you're so busy. I look forward to reading them every week!